faculty/staff

Kathy Kroupa

One of the things I especially like about athletics at SU is that our players really are student-athletes. This is a good academic institution, and my fellow coaches and I never forget that education is first. Our student-athletes find the time—and have the energy—to pursue academics and sports and still get involved in Greek life or clubs or even a second sport. Because SU is a small, friendly environment, students here find the support they need to pursue a variety of interests.

Not that being a student-athlete is easy. I always tell my athletes, “You’re going to be challenged here every day. The trick is you’ve got to find something you love doing, because if you’re happy where you are and with what you’re doing, you’re going to be a success.”

Education isn’t just about what’s in the books. You’re going to learn a lot of things on the playing field that aren’t just for sports. An athlete who comes out and works hard is learning all sorts of lessons that are going to serve her or him well long after college athletics are over: things like the importance of teamwork, the value of a strong work ethic, the importance of persistence. Those are the things that set people up for success; those are the things that make our athlete-alumni look back and say all the work was worth it.

The best thing about my job is that I get to watch young women grow over four years into responsible, hard-working adults who are going to make a difference in the world. I get to marry my passion for being a teacher with sports I love. The best thing for the student-athlete is that she gets a supportive group of peers who look after her and care about her. She gets to experience being part of a team and she’ll develop skills that will be useful and important throughout her whole life.